scholarly journals The performance of ultra-lightweight foamed concrete incorporating nanosilica

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Abd Elrahman ◽  
Pawel Sikora ◽  
Sang-Yeop Chung ◽  
Dietmar Stephan

AbstractThis paper aims to investigate the feasibility of the incorporation of nanosilica (NS) in ultra-lightweight foamed concrete (ULFC), with an oven-dry density of 350 kg/m3, in regard to its fresh and hardened characteristics. The performance of various dosages of NS, up to 10 wt.-%, were examined. In addition, fly ash and silica fume were used as cement replacing materials, to compare their influence on the properties of foamed concrete. Mechanical and physical properties, drying shrinkage and the sorption of concrete were measured. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray microcomputed tomography (µ-CT) and a probabilistic approach were implemented to evaluate the microstructural changes associated with the incorporation of different additives, such as wall thickness and pore anisotropy of produced ULFCs. The experimental results confirmed that the use of NS in optimal dosage is an effective way to improve the stability of foam bubbles in the fresh state. Incorporation of NS decrease the pore anisotropy and allows to produce a foamed concrete with increased wall thickness. As a result more robust and homogenous microstructure is produced which translate to improved mechanical and transport related properties. It was found that replacement of cement with 5 wt.-% and 10 wt.-% NS increase the compressive strength of ULFC by 20% and 25%, respectively, when compared to control concrete. The drying shrinkage of the NS-incorporated mixes was higher than in the control mix at early ages, while decreasing at 28 d. In overall, it was found that NS is more effective than other conventional fine materials in improving the stability of fresh mixture as well as enhancing the strength of foamed concrete and reducing its porosity and sorption.

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Abd Elrahman ◽  
Mohamed El Madawy ◽  
Sang-Yeop Chung ◽  
Pawel Sikora ◽  
Dietmar Stephan

Increasing interest is nowadays being paid to improving the thermal insulation of buildings in order to save energy and reduce ecological problems. Foamed concrete has unique characteristics and considerable potential as a promising material in construction applications. It is produced with a wide range of dry densities, between 600 and 1600 kg/m3. However, at a low density below 500 kg/m3, it tends to be unstable in its fresh state while exhibiting high drying shrinkage in its hardened state. In this study, lightweight aggregate-foamed concrete mixtures were prepared by the addition of preformed foam to a cement paste and aggregate. The focus of the research is the influence of fly ash, as well as fine lightweight aggregate addition, on the properties of foamed concrete with a density lower than 500 kg/m3. Concrete properties, including stability and consistency in the fresh state as well as thermal conductivity and mechanical properties in the hardened state, were evaluated in this study. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study the microstructure of the foamed concrete. Several mixes with the same density were prepared and tested. The experimental results showed that under the same bulk density, incorporation of fine lightweight aggregate has a significant role on compressive strength development, depending on the characteristics of the lightweight aggregate. However, thermal conductivity is primarily related to the dry density of foamed concrete and only secondarily related to the aggregate content. In addition, the use of fine lightweight aggregate significantly reduces the drying shrinkage of foamed concrete. The results achieved in this work indicate the important role of lightweight aggregate on the stability of low-density foamed concrete, in both fresh and hardened states.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 53-57
Author(s):  
Felix A. Oginni ◽  
Samuel N. John

A study of the technology of foamed concrete production is carried out. The engineering properties and applications of this type of concrete are presented for varying densities so as to effectively tap the advantages of its use for specific purposes. The properties considered are the 7-day compressive strength, thermal conductivity, modulus of elasticity and drying shrinkage. A study of the behaviours of foamed concrete at varying dry densities for the different characteristics was undertaken. Results indicate that as the dry density increases, the engineering properties increase though at different rates for the 7-day Compressive strength, Thermal conductivity, and Modulus of elasticity. The drying shrinkage decreases as the dry density increases. A comparative study of the 7-day Compressive strength and Modulus of elasticity show that they both follow the same trend over the varying dry density except at a dry density of 1200 kg/m3. A comparative study of the thermal conductivity and the percent drying shrinkage indicate that the thermal conductivity is inversely proportional to the percent drying shrinkage. Economics and other considerations together with its multipurpose applications of foamed concrete can open up business opportunities in Africa and sustainability. This can also help in providing needed funds for infrastructural development.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1051 ◽  
pp. 737-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastiano Candamano ◽  
Fortunato Crea ◽  
Dolores Romano ◽  
Ivan Iacobini

Aim of this work is to investigate the feasibility to implement structural mortar containing forest biomass ash (FBA), produced by a local power plant, in partial replacement of cement. Chemical composition, morphology and pozzolanicity of ash have been evaluated using Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), SEM and Chapelle test respectively. Furthermore, fresh state properties and drying shrinkage, compressive and flexural strength of the mortars at different curing times have been investigated. Forest biomass ash at replacement levels of 0%, 10%, 20% e 30% by total binder weight has been used. FBA has been found to show only a very moderate pozzolanicity, while it adversely affect workability of the fresh mortar and compressive strength and drying shrinkage of the hardened mortar. Nevertheless, at a replacement level of 30%wt and after 28 days of curing, mortar showed a compressive strength above 30MPa.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenhui Zhao ◽  
Qian Su ◽  
Wubin Wang ◽  
Lele Niu ◽  
Ting Liu

This study aims to investigate the effect of water on the properties of cast in situ foamed concrete with a dry density of 300–800 kg/m3 (100 kg/m3 is a gradient). Firstly, the shrinkage deformation with the curing time and the volumetric moisture content is studied by the drying shrinkage test and improved drying shrinkage test. Secondly, the influence of volumetric moisture content on mechanical properties is assessed. At last, the effects of immersion time and immersion type on the mechanical properties of foamed concrete are studied by considering the water-level conditions. The achieved results show that the shrinkage deformations increase with the curing time for the drying shrinkage test and the improved drying shrinkage test, while the variations are different. The shrinkage deformation increases with the decrease of volumetric moisture content for six dry densities of foamed concrete. Besides, it gradually changes in the early stage, while it changes fast in the later stage. The compressive strength and elastic modulus decrease with the increase of volumetric moisture content for each density. For the water-level unchanged condition, the compressive strength and elastic modulus initially decrease and then slowly increase with the increase of the immersion time. For the water-level changed condition, the compressive strength and elastic modulus of foamed concrete decrease with the increase of immersion time for each dry density, and the rate of early attenuation is high, whereas the rate of later attenuation is limited.


Author(s):  
Douglas L. Dorset

A variety of linear chain materials exist as polydisperse systems which are difficultly purified. The stability of continuous binary solid solutions assume that the Gibbs free energy of the solution is lower than that of either crystal component, a condition which includes such factors as relative molecular sizes and shapes and perhaps the symmetry of the pure component crystal structures.Although extensive studies of n-alkane miscibility have been carried out via powder X-ray diffraction of bulk samples we have begun to examine binary systems as single crystals, taking advantage of the well-known enhanced scattering cross section of matter for electrons and also the favorable projection of a paraffin crystal structure posited by epitaxial crystallization of such samples on organic substrates such as benzoic acid.


2005 ◽  
Vol 879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott K. Stanley ◽  
John G. Ekerdt

AbstractGe is deposited on HfO2 surfaces by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with GeH4. 0.7-1.0 ML GeHx (x = 0-3) is deposited by thermally cracking GeH4 on a hot tungsten filament. Ge oxidation and bonding are studied at 300-1000 K with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Ge, GeH, GeO, and GeO2 desorption are measured with temperature programmed desorption (TPD) at 400-1000 K. Ge initially reacts with the dielectric forming an oxide layer followed by Ge deposition and formation of nanocrystals in CVD at 870 K. 0.7-1.0 ML GeHx deposited by cracking rapidly forms a contacting oxide layer on HfO2 that is stable from 300-800 K. Ge is fully removed from the HfO2 surface after annealing to 1000 K. These results help explain the stability of Ge nanocrystals in contact with HfO2.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Hernán Martinelli ◽  
Claudia Domínguez ◽  
Marcos Fernández Leyes ◽  
Sergio Moya ◽  
Hernán Ritacco

In the search for responsive complexes with potential applications in the formulation of smart dispersed systems such as foams, we hypothesized that a pH-responsive system could be formulated with polyacrylic acid (PAA) mixed with a cationic surfactant, Gemini 12-2-12 (G12). We studied PAA-G12 complexes at liquid–air interfaces by equilibrium and dynamic surface tension, surface rheology, and X-ray reflectometry (XRR). We found that complexes adsorb at the interfaces synergistically, lowering the equilibrium surface tension at surfactant concentrations well below the critical micelle concentration (cmc) of the surfactant. We studied the stability of foams formulated with the complexes as a function of pH. The foams respond reversibly to pH changes: at pH 3.5, they are very stable; at pH > 6, the complexes do not form foams at all. The data presented here demonstrate that foam formation and its pH responsiveness are due to interfacial dynamics.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1885
Author(s):  
Xinyu Wu ◽  
Feng Yang ◽  
Jian Gan ◽  
Zhangqian Kong ◽  
Yan Wu

The silver particles were grown in situ on the surface of wood by the silver mirror method and modified with stearic acid to acquire a surface with superhydrophobic and antibacterial properties. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray energy spectroscopy (XPS) were used to analyze the reaction mechanism of the modification process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and contact angle tests were used to characterize the wettability and surface morphology. A coating with a micro rough structure was successfully constructed by the modification of stearic acid, which imparted superhydrophobicity and antibacterial activity to poplar wood. The stability tests were performed to discuss the stability of its hydrophobic performance. The results showed that it has good mechanical properties, acid and alkali resistance, and UV stability. The durability tests demonstrated that the coating has the function of water resistance and fouling resistance and can maintain the stability of its hydrophobic properties under different temperatures of heat treatment.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 1321
Author(s):  
Yasunobu Asawa ◽  
Aleksandra V. Arsent’eva ◽  
Sergey A. Anufriev ◽  
Alexei A. Anisimov ◽  
Kyrill Yu. Suponitsky ◽  
...  

Bis(carboranyl)amides 1,1′-μ-(CH2NH(O)C(CH2)n-1,2-C2B10H11)2 (n = 0, 1) were prepared by the reactions of the corresponding carboranyl acyl chlorides with ethylenediamine. Crystal molecular structure of 1,1′-μ-(CH2NH(O)C-1,2-C2B10H11)2 was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Treatment of bis(carboranyl)amides 1,1′-μ-(CH2NH(O)C(CH2)n-1,2-C2B10H11)2 with ammonium or cesium fluoride results in partial deboronation of the ortho-carborane cages to the nido-carborane ones with formation of [7,7′(8′)-μ-(CH2NH(O)C(CH2)n-7,8-C2B9H11)2]2−. The attempted reaction of [7,7′(8′)-μ-(CH2NH(O)CCH2-7,8-C2B9H11)2]2− with GdCl3 in 1,2-dimethoxy- ethane did not give the expected metallacarborane. The stability of different conformations of Gd-containing metallacarboranes has been estimated by quantum-chemical calculations using [3,3-μ-DME-3,3′-Gd(1,2-C2B9H11)2]− as a model. It was found that in the most stable conformation the CH groups of the dicarbollide ligands are in anti,anti-orientation with respect to the DME ligand, while any rotation of the dicarbollide ligand reduces the stability of the system. This makes it possible to rationalize the design of carborane ligands for the synthesis of gadolinium metallacarboranes on their base.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document